Manning retains Ari Fleischer amid HGH allegations

Peyton Manning has enlisted the services of former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer amid allegations that the Denver Broncos quarterback used human growth hormone (HGH) while recovering from a neck injury in 2011.

The accusation stems from an investigation into the sports doping industry by Al Jazeera.

In the report, British journalist Liam Collins secretly recorded Charlie Sly, a former intern at the Guyer Institute where Manning sought treatment for a herniated disc, who said Manning was given the performance-enhancing drug under his wife's name.

“There’s no truth to it,” he said. “What they have is a well-known con man from England who secretly recorded a former intern.”

Manning has also vehemently denied the report, which he called “complete garbage.”

“For the record, I have never used HGH. It absolutely never happened,” Manning told ESPN’s Chris Mortenson. “The whole thing is totally wrong. It’s such a fabrication. I’m not losing any sleep over it, that’s for sure.”

Sly has since retracted his claim. He told Al Jazeera the quotes attributed to him are “absolutely false and incorrect.”

The former intern said he lied to Collins in order to test his legitimacy.

There is no evidence that Manning’s wife received HGH from the Guyer Institute beyond Sly’s now-recanted statement.

Manning said he was treated with Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EEPC), a non-surgical procedure to increase blood flow, at the clinic. He also said he sat in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber and received nutrient IV therapies.

He said he was attended at the pharmacy by team doctors and coaches.

The five-time MVP is the all-time NFL leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Use of HGH was banned in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association.